Successful Countryside Stewardship Workshop

On Thursday 12th April Carver Knowles joined forces with Green Farm Seeds to put on a Countryside Stewardship workshop attended by farmers from Gloucestershire and Worcestershire.

The evening focused on two important aspects of the scheme, the application process and the establishment and maintenance of the available options. The Government have stated that they will honour any grant funding allocate pre 2019. This clearly highlights the importance of applying for the scheme whilst they are available so you don’t miss out on 5 years of annual payment.

The Application Process

Mike Cluley, director of Carver Knowles, discussed the new streamlined Countryside Stewardship application process including what options are available under each strand of the scheme. Mike also discussed the application process, explaining the minimum and maximum area required, whilst giving examples of potential gross margins to see how the scheme could benefit a farm.

Natural England are also still running the standard mid-tier Countryside Stewardship scheme, with no minimum or maximum restrictions and with some capital items, such as fencing, available.

Countryside Stewardship Option

The Options

There are a selection of different options which requires the applicant to plant a range of margins such as wild bird feed. Mark Davies of Green Farm Seeds discussed the importance of establishing a good seed bed and the ideal conditions to which they must be planted, along with the maintenance for the two year or five year crops.

Mark also discussed the benefits that each option have and how you can fit it in with your existing farming system or farm shoot.

If you would like to discuss any of the Countryside Stewardship options please call Alyssia Thomas or Aislyn Firth on 01684 853400.

Other grants

Mike briefly touched on other grant schemes which are still available:

Carver Knowles

Focussing on the needs of farmers and landowners across the Three Counties

Carver Knowles is a leading Land Agent, Chartered Surveying and Valuer practice specialising in rural property. We provide a full range of professional services to farmers and landowners who would rather focus on their day to day farming and business activities. We pride ourselves on providing a personal service and a service that our clients actually need.